Disposable Liner For A Basin

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a disposable liner that is disposed in a cavity of a basin are disclosed. In one embodiment, a disposable liner comprises: sidewalls that are design to adapt to the contours of the cavity of the basin; and a bottom wall that is attached to the sidewalls and includes a drainage hole that is aligned with the drainage hole of the basin.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of copending U.S. utility applicationentitled, “DISPOSABLE LINER FOR A BASIN,” having Ser. No. 12/115,620,filed May 6, 2008, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference,and which claims benefit of copending U.S. provisional applicationentitled, “DISPOSABLE LINER FOR A BASIN,” having Ser. No. 60/916,427,filed on May 7, 2007, which is entirely incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to a basin, and more particularly to adisposable liner that is disposed inside a cavity of a basin.

BACKGROUND

In the pedicure industry, a foot tub is used to rinse and clean aperson's foot. However, a person's foot typically has bacteria, fungus,and other related organisms that contaminate the foot tub after usingthe foot tub. The contaminated foot tub can contaminate another person'sfoot if the foot tub has not been properly sanitized or cleaned.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of a disposable liner that is disposed in a cavity of abasin are disclosed. In one embodiment, a disposable liner comprises:sidewalls that are design to adapt to the contours of the cavity of thebasin; and a bottom wall that is attached to the sidewalls and includesa drainage hole that is aligned with the drainage hole of the basin.

In another embodiment, among others, a disposable liner comprises:sidewalls that are design to adapt to the contours of the cavity of thebasin; footrests that are attached in a normal position to therespective sidewalls; and a trench that is formed between the footrests.

In yet another embodiment, among others, a disposable liner comprises:sidewalls that are design to adapt to the contours of the cavity of thebasin; a bottom wall that is attached to the sidewalls and includes adrainage hole that is aligned with the drainage hole of the basin; acover that seals the drainage hole, preventing water from draining outof the disposable liner through the drainage hole, the cover including aheat sealed foil that is a non-contact method of heating a metallic diskto hermetically seal the drainage hole using an induction sealingmethod.

Other apparatuses, methods, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional apparatuses, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with referenceto the following drawings. The components in the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a disposable liner that is placed in acavity of a basin or foot tub;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a disposable liner, such as that shown in FIG.1, in which the disposable liner is upside down;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a disposable liner, such as that shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of a disposable liner, such as that shown in FIG.1, having a sidewall with indentation;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a disposable liner, such as that shown in FIG.1, having a sidewall having indentation;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a disposable liner, such as that shownin FIG. 1, resting at an angle along the peripheral of a basin;

FIG. 7 is a top view of a disposable liner, such as that shown in FIG.1, being disposed inside a cavity of a basin; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a disposable liner such as that shown inFIG. 1, having a tab on a heat sealed foil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disposable liners are disclosed herein. One function of the disposableliner, among others, is to prevent the spread of infections in a basin,and more particularly, a basin of a pedicure spa. There have been manycases of bacterial infections during a pedicure service due to theinconsistent mixing of the disinfectant products or by not using thedisinfectant products at all. The disposable liner is designed toeliminate the transfer of bacteria within the pedicure spa.

For example, when a customer is ready to get a pedicure, a nailtechnician can place a disposable liner into the basin of the pedicurespa. Fresh water is poured into the new liner to ensure cleanliness andhygiene. After a nail technician completes a customer's pedicure, thecontaminated water is disposed of by lifting a heat sealed foil cover(approximately 1.5 inch hole) at the bottom of the disposable liner.

Once drained, the liner is discarded and the inner surface of the basinis sanitized with, for example, Crosstex™ disinfectant wipes (HospitalGrade and EPA Approved). When another pedicure customer is ready, a newdisposable liner is used. Once the foil has been removed, the disposableliner generally can not be reused due to the fact that the hole issealed with a heat sealed foil, preventing multiple uses of the linerand bacteria infections to the customers.

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a disposable liner 100 that is placed in acavity 156 (FIG. 6) of a basin or foot tub 153 (FIG. 6). The disposableliner 100 includes sidewalls 103, 106, 109, and 113, which includeindentations 116, 119, 123, 126, respectively, for adapting to thecontours of the cavity of the basin 153, which is described and shown inFIGS. 6 and 7. The sidewalls 109, 113 are attached in a normal positionto a foot rest 129 and the sidewalls 103, 113 are attached in a normalposition to another foot rest 133. Between the two foot rests 129, 133is a trench 136. Such trench 136 includes sidewalls 143, 146, both ofwhich are attached in a normal position to the foot rests 129, 133,respectively. Both sidewalls 143, 146 of the trench 136 are attached ina normal position to the bottom wall 149 of the trench 136. The bottomwall 149 of trench 136 includes a drainage hole 139 adjacent to thesidewall 113.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the disposable liner 100, such as that shownin FIG. 1, in which the disposable liner 100 is upside down. The frontview shows the sidewall 106 and the indentation 123. FIG. 3 is a topview of the disposable liner 100, such as that shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4is a rear view of the disposable liner 100, such as that shown in FIG.1, having the sidewall 113 with the indentation 126. The bottom portionof the sidewall 113 is attached in a normal position to the foot rests129, 133. The foot rests 129, 133 are attached in a normal position tothe sidewalls 143, 146 of the trench 136. The bottom portion of thesidewalls 143, 146 of the trench 136 is attached in a normal position tothe bottom wall 149 of the trench 136.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the disposable liner 100, such as that shown inFIG. 1, having the sidewall 109 having the indentation 119. The bottomportion of the sidewall 109 is attached in a normal position to the footrest 129, which is attached in a normal position to the sidewall 143 ofthe trench 136.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the disposable liner 100, such as thatshown in FIG. 1, resting at an angle along the peripheral of the basin153. In general, the disposable liner 100 is molded to adapt to theshape of the interior of the basin 153. For example, the indentations116, 119 of the sidewalls 103, 109 adapt to the shape of the basin 153having an overflow structure 159 and a shower head portion 163,respectively.

The basin 153 includes a cavity 156 in which the disposable liner 100 isdisposed therein. The cavity 156 includes a drainage hole 166 at thebottom wall of the basin 153. The disposable liner 100 includes a cover170 that seals the drainage hole 139 of the liner 100, preventing waterfrom draining out of the liner 100 through the drainage hole 139. Thecover 170 includes, but not limited to, a heat sealed foil that isfurther described in relation to FIGS. 7 and 8. The drainage hole 139 isgenerally aligned with the drainage hole of the basin 153.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the disposable liner 100, such as that shown inFIG. 1, being disposed inside the cavity 156 of the basin 153. Theindentations 116, 119 of the sidewalls 103, 109 are adapted to shape ofthe overflow structure 159 and shower head portion 163. The heat sealedfoil 170 of the disposable liner 100 is placed on top of the drainagehole 166. The drainage hole 139 has a diameter of approximately 1.5inches. The heat sealed foil 170 is a non-contact method of heating ametallic disk to hermetically seal the drainage hole 139 using aninduction sealing method.

In general, the heat sealed foil 170 is multi-layered. For example, atop layer of the heat sealed foil 170 can be made of paper pulp. Thenext layer can be made of wax that is used to bond a foil to the pulp.The bottom layer can be made of a polymer film laminated to the foil.The disposable liner 100 passes under an induction coil, which emits avarying electromagnetic field. As the disposable liner 100 passes underthe induction coil (also known as a sealing head) the conductivealuminum foil liner begins to heat. The heat melts the wax, whichabsorbs into the pulp backing and releases the foil from the disposableliner 100. The polymer film also heats and flows onto the peripheral ofthe drainage hole 139. When cooled, the polymer creates a bond with thedisposable liner 100 resulting in a hermetically sealed product.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the disposable liner 100 having a tab173 on the heat sealed foil 170. A user can use the tab 173 tofacilitate peeling the heat sealed foil 170 off the disposable liner100. An exemplary process of using the disposable liner 100 is asfollows. The disposable liner 100 is placed inside the cavity 156 of thebasin 153. The disposable liner 100 is then filled with water using theshower head portion 163.

A person's foot is placed inside the liner to be properly rinsed andcleaned. After the rinsing and cleaning are completed, the heat sealedfoil 170 is peeled off the disposable liner 100 using the tab 173draining the water out of the disposable liner 100 through the drainagehole 139 into the basin hole 166. The disposable liner 100 is thenthrown away. A new and uncontaminated disposable liner 100 can be usedto rinse and clean the next person's foot. This reduces the chances ofbacterial and fungus contamination from one person's foot to anotherperson's foot.

Alternatively or additionally, to prevent reuse of a disposable liner,the heat sealed foil is coated with a substance that changes color whenthe heat sealed foil is exposed to water. This ensures the next personto a certain degree that the disposable liner 100 has never been used.

1. A disposable liner that is disposed in a cavity of a basincomprising: sidewalls that are design to adapt to the contours of thecavity of the basin; footrests that are attached in a normal position tothe respective sidewalls; and a trench that is formed between thefootrests.
 2. The disposable liner as defined in claim 1, wherein thebottom wall of the trench includes a drainage hole.
 3. The disposableliner as defined in claim 2, further comprising a cover that seals thedrainage hole, preventing water from draining out of the disposableliner through the drainage hole.
 4. The disposable liner as defined inclaim 3, wherein the cover includes a heat sealed foil that is anon-contact method of heating a metallic disk to hermetically seal thedrainage hole using an induction sealing method.
 5. The disposable lineras defined in claim 4, wherein the cover includes a tab to facilitatepeeling the cover off the disposable liner.
 6. A disposable liner thatis disposed in a cavity of a basin comprising: sidewalls that are designto adapt to the contours of the cavity of the basin; and a bottom wallthat is attached to the sidewalls and includes a drainage hole that isaligned with the drainage hole of the basin.
 7. The disposable liner asdefined in claim 6, further comprising a cover that seals the drainagehole, preventing water from draining out of the disposable liner throughthe drainage hole.
 8. The disposable liner as defined in claim 7,wherein the cover includes a heat sealed foil that is a non-contactmethod of heating a metallic disk to hermetically seal the drainage holeusing an induction sealing method.
 9. The disposable liner as defined inclaim 8, wherein the cover includes a tab to facilitate peeling thecover off the disposable liner.
 10. The disposable liner as defined inclaim 6, further comprising footrests that are attached in a normalposition to the respective sidewalls.
 11. The disposable liner asdefined in claim 10, further comprising a trench that is formed betweenthe footrests.
 12. A disposable liner that is disposed in a cavity of abasin comprising: sidewalls that are design to adapt to the contours ofthe cavity of the basin; a bottom wall that is attached to the sidewallsand includes a drainage hole that is aligned with the drainage hole ofthe basin; a cover that seals the drainage hole, preventing water fromdraining out of the disposable liner through the drainage hole, thecover including a heat sealed foil that is a non-contact method ofheating a metallic disk to hermetically seal the drainage hole using aninduction sealing method.
 13. The disposable liner as defined in claim12, wherein the cover includes a tab to facilitate peeling the cover offthe disposable liner.
 14. The disposable liner as defined in claim 13,further comprising footrests that are attached in a normal position tothe respective sidewalls.
 15. The disposable liner as defined in claim14, further comprising a trench that is formed between the footrests.